About

Strongly characterised by a creative trans-disciplinary approach and rooted in a collaborative, research-based and experimental practice, Maurizio Montalti’s work tends toward the exploration of the design discipline, aiming to investigate and reflect upon contemporary (material) culture, thereby creating new opportunities and visions both for the (creative) industry and for the broader social spectrum.

He often actively collaborates with professionals from other disciplines in a co-creative process, to arrive at thought-provoking solutions and design outcomes. His work spans across various mediums, previously exploring themes in relation to biotechnology, anthropology, bio- diversity, the ecosystem and the human impact on it, recent production technologies, and the importance of a symbiotic entanglement between natural life-forms, for an alternative advancement of society.

The fascination for the micro-scale, together with a holistic vision of the world as a macro-organism animated by symbiotic
relationships are some of Maurizio’s main drives.

Maurizio’s practice, known as Officina Corpuscoli, seeks to reveal unorthodox relationships among existing paradigms. By distilling research and analysis and tangibly materialising relevant facts,Officina Corpuscoli’s s goal is to create projects and conditions that allow for a resonant critical experience, by the synthesis of ideas through design.

To this end, the design process and the subsequent materialisation of concepts are often used as tools and strategies for questioning culture, critically and constructively addressing the design field, as well as targeting industry.

Officina Corpuscoli, founded in 2010 and based in Amsterdam, operates as a multidisciplinary studio, providing creative consultancy and developing both commissioned and self-initiated projects, often inspired by and in collaboration with living systems and organisms.

The studio’s work has been widely shown in multiple museums, exhibitions and festivals, both nationally and internationally.

Besides the various activities and projects at OC, Maurizio is the co-founder of MOGU S.r.l. , a company focused on industrial scale-up of mycelium based materials, services and products and he is also highly involved in education, currently co-heading the MAD Master (Materialisation in Art and Design) at Sandberg Instituut, as well as teaching, lecturing and mentoring in different national and international academies and universities.